


Scars of the Immortal

by Storijophe



Series: The Immortal Traveler [1]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Angst, Fluff, I have no idea what I'm doing, New Game+, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:08:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26927908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Storijophe/pseuds/Storijophe
Summary: Akira has lived this year more times than anyone he's ever known could bother to count. He's seen every possible variation on every possible change; every ridiculous thing he's ever thought of and more, he's seen. Except, of course, for two things. One: He can never escape, whether that be through death or completing the year. And two: No one else ever remembers more than a single loop back at the very most.So when someone he's never met claims to be remembering just as much as he does, he's not entirely sure what is going to happen.
Series: The Immortal Traveler [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1977445
Comments: 6
Kudos: 41





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a thing that I decided to write on a whim because everyone else has been writing time loop stuff, so why not. I also enjoy making Akira suffer a little too much for my (or his) own good, honestly. So, that'll probably happen eventually.
> 
> Honestly, I've got no plan, and I've met fish with better motivation than me. Updates will probably be sporadic, and you'll be finding out what's going on about the same time I do. So sorry in advance, and welcome to the ride. Please keep hands, feet, and arms inside at all times.

“Joker, look out! There’s some sort of strange reading up ahead!”

_Well, that’s new. Sumi hasn’t helped out in Sae’s palace since eight loops ago. Or was it nine?_

**Irrelevant, little thief. Make haste, a gentleman does not keep a lady waiting.**

_Thanks for the tip Arsene, I don’t know what I’d do without your guidance._

**You know as well as I you’d be perfectly fine. I simply must ensure you do not become forgetful in your old age.**

_Rude._

**Hush now, little thief. It is time to play our part.**

* * *

Joker took off from the nook he had been hiding in, waiting for a guard to pass him by. He dashed forward, his footsteps utterly silent as he made his way up the stairs and into a familiar back room. Right on que, a horde of Shadows burst up from the ground.

_What do you think, should we show off, wipe these guys out on our own?_

**I think you need to pay more attention. And duck.**

Joker dropped to the ground right as a knife sailed through the air where his head had just been. A cocky grin came to his face as he backflipped back to standing, taking a defensive stance.

_Well this is certainly new, I didn’t expect things to get this exciting._

Glancing around, Joker dashed forward, using his grappling hook to latch on to the nearest shadow before it transformed. He twisted mid-air, just barely dodging the bulky body of the thing and sliding his knife clean through its neck as he sailed past, kicking another in the chest and sending it flying.

**Remember that surviving is more important than showing off, little thief. We still don’t know what effect your death has.**

The rest of the shadows transformed, a myriad of mythical figures appearing before Joker.

_Hmm...More than usual. I’m aware we’re not entirely sure of the effects of my death._

Joker drew his pistol as he dashed forward, sending a volley of lead towards the closest shadows. As he dashed through their smoking remains, he dived over an attack, rolling into a crouch.

_It’s been awfully quiet. Either Sumi should have shown up by now, or whoever threw that knife should have at least said something to me._

**Behind you.**

Joker grit his teeth as he felt a dagger stab into his back, sliding neatly between two ribs. He flung himself backwards, knocking both himself and his unseen attacker to the ground in a tangle of limbs.

 _“Joker! Are you okay?!”_ Oracle’s voice floated in his mind.

He smirked, rolling away and turning to address his attacker. “It’ll take more than that to kill me, you know.”

The person before him was someone he didn’t recognize. Which was, in and of itself, an achievement, thought their outfit was hardly recognizable. A plain black tuxedo, neither high-quality nor low; plain dress shoes, with no discernable qualities; matte black gloves, neither new nor exceptionally broken in. For a mask, a simple white oval, black dots for eyes and a black slash of a mouth, with barely-noticeable black hair of average length behind it. Almost a twisted reflection of his own attire; fashionable, yes, but utterly plain, whereas Joker was stylish and almost intentionally stood out.

“Who are you?” The figure only tilted its head to the side, almost mockingly, before shaking it and dashing toward Joker. He jumped to the side, but was shocked to find a knife suddenly in the figure’s hand, a match to the one he had dodged earlier. It slashed at him again and again, picking up speed as it went; he flipped backwards, entirely knocking over the all but forgotten shadow behind him.

_Clear us some space, would you?_

**Very well, little thief. Be careful while I’m gone!**

Joker’s mask vanished in a flash of azure flame while Arsene appeared behind him. The figure ceased its attack to tilt its head, observing the spectacle before it. Arsene reached up and tipped his hat, before his grin widened and the flame within him flared, before lashing out and utterly erasing every shadow in the area.

The figure’s knife vanished as it tilted its head in the other direction, and began politely clapping. Amused, Joker and Arsene bowed in tandem before their apparent audience.

**Back up.**

Joker jumped backwards as a knife flashed into the ground before him; The figure was gone when he looked up, but there was a note attached to this particular knife.

_**You are no longer the only one who remembers everything, Trickster.** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's 3 am, so it's time for an update. This is admittedly going somewhat slow, but I'm making this up as I go, so it could definitely be worse.

_**“** Joker?! What the hell was that about?!”_

“Don’t worry about it right now, Oracle. We’ll handle it once we’re safely out of the palace.” He grappled his way to a vent, following a route he’d memorized long ago.

**I, too, desire to know just what that was about.**

I thought you knew everything.

**I am thou, thou art I. I simply have a stronger connection to our subconscious, little thief.**

Joker kicked a grate open, alerting two guards. With a grin and a wave, he dashed off, ignoring the cries of alarm behind him.

_Clearly. I’m still going to go make certain we don’t know him. Time for the fun part!_

**If I didn’t know you’d be fine, I’d be worried.**

Joker shoved his way through a door, coming out onto a balcony over a chaotic mess that had once been a gambling floor. Cries rang out from below him as he looked across the cognitive guests before him, a confident grin across his face.

“Stop right there!” He turned to the two men behind him. With a wave, he leapt onto the banner of the balcony and ran, circling the room, before he dived through a stained glass window into the cold moonlight.

_Always the best part of these loops._

He fell to the ground gracefully, barely a noise arising from his feet as he rolled to a crouch. Suddenly, a wall of floodlights lit up before him.

_And now for the bad part. Go wake up...I think it’s Pyro Jack’s turn, this time._

Joker dashed away, taking a running jump for a fire escape ladder.

**You know how I despise allowing you to be hurt, little thief.**

As he climbed, he sighed; this part was never pleasant. Then, he was slammed in the face with the butt of a rifle.

_You know I’ll be fine afterwards. We must put on a good show, after all._

He fell to the ground and was swarmed, pinned to the ground by more police than he could easily count.

**Very well...I’ll ensure he’s available by the time you’re due to be interrogated.**

A man lifted Akira’s head up by his hair, before whispering in his ear, “You’ve been sold out, kid. You can thank your teammate for this.”

* * *

Throughout Sae’s investigation, Akira’s mind kept coming back to whoever he had seen at the end of the casino. He couldn’t get past the fact that he’d never seen them, period, in all the loops he’d experienced.

As he drew to that part of the story, he frowned. He always told Sae as much as he reasonably could, but this...this was new. He didn’t know what throwing a new player into his story so late in the game would do, nor could he afford to die to Akechi already. “Hey, focus. I need the rest of your story.” This loops Sae had been exceptionally difficult to convince, too; Sometimes she just adamantly refused to believe anything, and there was nothing he could really do about that, short of jumping into the Metaverse and hoping it all just worked out. Even when she wasn’t a prosecutor, she knew when he was lying, too, so there wasn’t much to do there.

He shook his head, before nodding. “Sorry...where was I? Oracle said she detected some sort of strange reading ahead, so I took a separate route we had planned in case anything went wrong.”

She raised an eyebrow skeptically. “Really? All that bravado and foolhardy courage, and _now_ you choose to be cautious?”

He sighed, “Look, we had to make sure it looked like I got out so our enemy didn’t know we were on to him. I’m reckless, not stupid. It wasn’t the time or place to go exploring.”

She folded her arms, glaring at him suspiciously. Her glare had stopped working on him centuries ago, however. “Fine. So, you escaped my ‘palace,’ and intentionally got caught by the police. What’s your plan now?”

He smiled at her; this was always the most interesting point, and it was never the exact same. “Well, we’ve convinced him that we have...no idea what he’s planning. All that’s left is to ensure it stays that way.” He glanced at his phone. “There was something...something he needs to see on my phone.” He glanced back at her.

Sae’s glare hardened. “What, do you expect me to aid you? Think I’ll take the phone of a terrorist who works through unknown methods, and show it to someone I’ve never met?”

_Appeal to the Shadow it is, then._

He sighed, putting his head in his hands. “You do know him, actually. He’s the only one who was never a Phantom Thief, and also the one of the two people I was close with that knew you.” He put his hands down on the table, taking a deep breath. “Look, I’ve seen the inside of your mind. You want to win this case, because that’s what you do; you win. Would you say you won if I were to show up dead?”

She stared at him, before tilting her head slightly. “No, I wouldn’t. I’d say that’s the same vigilante justice I’m trying to catch you for doing. How is this relevant?”

“We have reason to believe the enemy I’ve been telling you about is going to kill me while I’m in here, and make it look like a suicide.” _Fucker still doesn’t have the decency to just let me be murdered._ “All you have to do to stop that is show him my phone.”

She stared into some middle distance, a look Akira had come to recognize as her deep in thought. “I think I know who you’re talking about.” She took his phone, inspecting it closely. “All I have to do is show him this, yes?” He nodded. “And you swear it won’t hurt me in some way?” He nodded again. “Good. I’ll help you, and then you will help me deal with whatever group your enemy is working for.”

He grinned a Joker’s grin. “It’s a deal then, Nijima Sae.”

The familiar feeling of a bond becoming nigh-unbreakable filled his body, and he relaxed, ever so slightly.

_You may return now, Jack. I apologize for dragging you away._

**I understand, ho. We do what we have to, hee-ho.**

Pyro Jack faded from his mind as Arsene slipped forward from simply observing. Immediately, he felt his body grow stronger, his limbs lighter, his senses sharper.

Sae took his phone, nodded to him, and exited the room. He felt Akechi step into the metaverse, heard the door handle twist, and with a smile, stood up from his chair. He followed Sae out of the room, a tense air between the two - the air of two people breaking well-established rules together, unwilling as they may or may not be.

* * *

Akira stepped out of the car as soon as it stopped. Sae began to climb out of the car, but he stopped her. “I’ll be able to make it from here, don’t worry. It’s best you not be seen around here, they may still be watching the cafe.”

She frowned. “With your injuries, I’m hesitant to just leave you alone. And wouldn’t they be watching for you, too?”

He shook his head, gesturing vaguely towards Leblanc. “I have plans for that, they won’t notice me. And my injuries will be fine, I know a good doctor.”

**You know as well as I that you will not be visiting Takemi tonight.**

_Hush, you. I don’t need your commentary on every time I lie._

Amusement tinged Arsene’s voice in his head. **Very well, little thief.**

Sae sighed, but nodded. “Very well. I will be around some time in the next few days.”

As she drove off, Akira turned and ducked into a nearby alleyway, before he _stepped_ and the world around him became silent and still. On the ground before him was a bag, a nondescript gray hoodie and jeans inside. He quickly changed into them, before he _stepped_ once more and the world lit back up with noise and life.

Ishtar spoke up within his mind, her voice kind, yet stearn. **Your wounds, dear thief?**

_I’m getting there, but thank you for reminding me._

**I see how it is, little thief. She gets a thank you, and I get told off.**

He smirked, murmuring “Salvation” beneath his breath as he walked, every injury on his body suddenly vanishing as warmth filled his body.

_Why, of course. A gentleman must be nice to a lady, but the same does not go for rude old men._

**You are the single oldest being on the face of the Earth. You do not get to speak of old men, little thief.**

_Quit calling me little thief and I’ll quit calling you old._

**Never.**

He chuckled quietly to himself, before pushing open the door to Leblanc.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope what I want to is coming across. I'd love to hear what you think of Akira right now, I'm curious to see how other people see him. If it isn't obvious (God I hope it is), the bold is Arsene speaking, the italics is Akira thinking/speaking to his Personas, and italics in quotes is something transmitted, like Oracle speaking or a phone call.
> 
> Your thoughts? I live for comments.


	3. Chapter 3

Once Akira walked through the door, all he had time to say was “Hey guy-” before Futaba nearly tackled him to the ground into a hug. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her frail form. “I missed you too firebug, but you didn’t need to tackle me.“

She shook her head and he could hear her smile as she replied, “Yes I did, I had to make sure you weren’t a ghost.”

Sojiro huffed a laugh at the sight from behind the counter, as the other thieves moved over to surround their leader. Ryuji and Shiho tried to shove each other out of the way while Ann attempted to separate the two long enough for Akira to step further through the door. Makoto and Haru watched on bemusedly as they followed the trio at a more moderate pace, Morgana purring loudly in Haru’s arms, while Yusuke and Hifumi stood just to the side. To Akira, it was, in a word, home.

Ryuji cried “Dude! That was the craziest plan you’ve pulled off yet!” as he wrapped Akira in a hug like a vice.

 _Oh, if only you knew, Ryuji._ He smirked and nodded, before ducking back slightly as Shiho shoved Ryuji out of the way and grinned, punching Akira in the arm. “I hate to say it, but Ryuji’s right, that was awesome.” She shook her head and ducked under Ryuji’s arm as he came back for payback, “Futaba showed us you diving through that window at the end, and _god_ dude, do you have to be such a show off?”

Ann wrapped one arm each around Ryuji and Shiho’s necks, and while the two stuck their tongues out at each other, she laughed. “No need to be jealous Shiho, it’s not his fault he’s so much cooler than you.”

While Shiho pouted, Akira pried Futaba away from him. “Come on firebug, you have to share me with everyone else.”

She rolled her eyes but let him go. “Fine, but don’t come crying to me when I decide I don’t need a brother anymore, you here?”

He laughed and slid past the group to talk to the other four, each with a look of equal parts amusement and relief. He smirked and bowed, “Did everyone enjoy the show?”

Makoto rolled her eyes and flicked him in the forehead, while Hifumi politely applauded.

“Hmm, it was quite a feat, your leap through the window. The sheer joy on your face, the billowing of your coat tails…” A familiar look came to Yusuke’s face as he turned back to where he had been sitting previously, “I simply must capture such magnificence!”

**I do believe this one shall become a part of the gallery, little thief.**

**__** _I’ll have to ask him once it's done, I suppose._

Morgana climbed on to Haru’s shoulder and leapt to Akira’s, taking a perch and looking quite proud of his acrobatics as he did so. Haru giggled and reached up to scratch behind his ears, saying “I’m glad to see you made it back alright, it was pretty chaotic there at the end.”

Akira nodded, “I know, I’m just glad you guys made it out fine.” He smirked, “Of course, since Joker never fails, I wasn’t worried about myself.”

Hifumi and Makoto gave him nearly identical exasperated looks, before sharing a look between the two of them. Hifumi nodded, then turned back to Akira. “A good commander doesn’t get cocky, Akira. You were in more danger than the rest of us combined, as I’m sure you’re well aware.”

Makoto nodded next to her. “While I know you want to keep pushing the idea that Joker is invincible, _you_ aren’t. You very well could have been beaten in the interrogation room, were it not for my sister there.”

_Oh, I’m glad she’s still this naive this time, it’s so annoying to have to keep the injuries._

**Hush, you. We both know you’re just glad you didn’t have to worry them, injuries be damned.**

**__** _Relax, Cybele, we both also know you’re being petulant because we’re talking about Makoto._

Cybele remained silent and he let out a chuckle, “Relax, Momkoto. Sae was a little hesitant to agree with me at first, but everything worked out perfectly.”

Sojiro tapped a mug with a spoon, the impressively loud noise getting everyone’s attention, even Ryuji and Shiho, who’s bickering had somehow become an arm wrestling contest. “Look guys, it’s been a long day for all of us and the last trains are running soon, so I suggest you guys pack it up and head home.”

Futaba cackled and pointed at him, crying out “Hah! I knew you were a softy! You’re worried about Akira!”

Sojiro very inconspicuously picked up his crossword puzzle, and had you asked, he would have sworn he wasn’t hiding from the accusation.

Morgana nuzzled into the side of Akira’s head before jumping onto a stool and addressing the rest of the Thieves. “Boss is right, Akira needs to get some sleep soon, and you guys need to head home. We can talk more about what we do now tomorrow.”

““Fine, mom,”” Ryuji and Shiho called to him in unison, before high fiving each other and a now-laughing Ann.

Makoto shook her head with a smile and headed for the door. “I’m sure Sae is going to be out all night again, but I do need to head home. Akira is supposedly dead and all, but the rest of us have school tomorrow.”

The rest of the thieves all left, an assortment of grumbles about school and well wishes for Akira following in their wake, leaving only Sojiro and Futaba behind with him.

“Sojiroooo, can I stay here tonight?” Futaba gave her best impression of puppy eyes, which was luckily blocked by the glare on her glasses - Sojiro always caved to it otherwise. Now though, he simply shook his head and patted hers.

“Not tonight Futaba, Akira needs his rest. Morgana can take care of him just fine, right?” The cat made an over-exaggerated nodding motion and nearly fell from his perch on Akira’s shoulder, causing Sojiro to chuckle. “Alright, come on, you can come back first thing in the morning.”

Futaba dashed over to hug Akira again and Morgana leapt from his shoulder, knowing what was coming. She threw herself at him again and told him, “I’ll see you tomorrow, bro.” She pulled back slightly and a serious look came to her face. “And we will be talking about whoever you fought earlier, right?”

She was crushing him so tightly he could only nod, but she still grinned and called “Let’s go, Sojiro!” before dashing out the door.

The older man chuckled and put his hand on Akira’s shoulder, “Take care of yourself, you hear? I don’t know everything you did today but I do know it was dangerous.” He patted Akira’s shoulder once before walking out into the night.

“Come on Morgana, let’s get some rest.” He walked up the stairs to his attic bedroom, Morgana close behind.

**Were you not going to look into if we knew the Mask, little thief?**

**__** _I am, I just can’t get away while I’m awake right now._

Arsene chuckled. **Fair enough, I will await you patiently then.**

He and Morgana made quick work of getting ready for bed. Morgana curled up on his chest as he did most nights and sighed happily. “I’m glad I came back to you guys, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Akira pet him gently, and smiled. “I know, and I’m glad to have you back. I’m sure the others are too, but it’s weird not having you with me all the time, you know?”

Morgana began to nod off, so Akira decided it was time he did the same. He took off his glasses and lay back, closing his eyes to sleep.

And when he opened them a second later, Morgana was gone, Arsene was sitting at his desk, and the sky outside was bright with the noon sun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to get this out a few days ago, but life has been _busy_. This week should be an exception though, so hopefully I can get more of these chapters out more often.
> 
> Anyway! Not a lot of plot-heavy stuff, mostly just Baby's First Fluff Scene. Let me know what you think, I haven't done this before, so I'm sure it's a little stilted or awkward. Things should be happening more in the next few chapters. And before anyone asks, this isn't like the Royal timeline, nor the vanilla timeline, clearly. So Shiho and Hifumi being Thieves is something that I'm not going to expand on, at least not right now; they just are, and they have been for long enough to be integrated fairly well into the group dynamic. At least hopefully, that's what I was going for.
> 
> See you next time I randomly decide to write some words :-)


	4. Chapter 4

Akira smiled at the familiar setting, and looked to Arsene. “So. What do you think?”

Arsene was picking at his fingernails, far smaller and closer to human than he was elsewhere. His fiery mask and classy attire were still present, however. “Well, we know almost nothing. A suit, a white mask, and black hair are hardly distinguishing features.”

Akira nodded, tapping a finger on his cheek in thought. “Clearly a Persona user, too fast to be human and not nearly blue enough to be an Attendant.” He paused, a frown coming to his face. “What are the odds he’s one of our generation?”

Arsene pulled a dagger from thin air, dancing it across his fingers in a manner reminiscent of how Akira would a pencil. “I don’t think we can say with any certainty, little thief. He may not have summoned because it would reveal his face, or he may have been avoiding signalling which generation he’s from.”

Akira stood up, stretching until his back let out a satisfying _pop_. “Well, what do you say we take a stop by the Library?”

Arsene snapped his blade away with a flourish and looked up at Akira, his mask’s grin widening. “I was just thinking the same thing, of course. After all, little thief, I am thou.”

Akira grinned back and responded, “And thou art I, old friend. Come on, we don’t have all night.”

The duo walked down the steps from his room and stepped through a door into a replica of the Velvet room, though this one lacked a grotesquely long-nosed man or small children, and rather than cell doors, contained a variety of doors. Some were sliding, seemingly stolen from convenience stores, while others were simpler doors, more at home on a house than anywhere. Of course, Leblanc’s door stood just behind him, the number one boldly declared above it. He waved and smiled kindly to the personas lounging about the place; it was inextricably tied to Igor in his heart, so those most aligned with the Fool tended to gather in the room.

He strode across the room, Arsene in tow, and stepped through the door labeled seven, a plain door, not at all fitting with its contents. “We really should move this closer to the attic, they’re the two places we’re in the most.”

Arsene chuckled, “You know you enjoy the distance, little thief. You complain every time we come through here, yet you never change it.”

Akira nodded and smiled slightly as he stepped into the Library within his soul, the doorway behind him morphing into a cell door and letting off a faint, blue mist, much like that of the Velvet room entrances.

The Library expanded out in all four directions from where he had entered; A small bank of computers was to one side, while a set of cubicles was to the other. In front of him was a large table, empty and waiting to be used. Behind, a set of small cabinets, labeled with a myriad of different topics and ideas, their labels shifting, replaced with a new topic every few seconds. Beyond each of these landmarks were wide halls, stretching off into the distance. Along the walls were great bookshelves, every topic Akira had ever heard of somewhere among their shelves. Ladders were provided to reach the highest of books, and there were alcoves spaces sporadically, within which were tables, covered in books resting open or in small piles, as though someone had merely stood up to go find their next book, though there were no other patrons within this library.

Akira nodded to the personas around him; those of the Magician and Hierophant most enjoyed his Library, their arcana having been associated with learning in the real world. He walked over to the large table and swept his hands out, a holographic display flickering to life as Arsene moved to stand across from him.

“So, let’s lay out what we know right now.” He moved his hands as he talked, conjuring the words he spoke upon the table. “We know we’re looking for a Persona user.” An array of some sixty faces appeared before him. “It’s safe to assume they’re not an Attendant,” a swipe, and all of the residents of the Velvet room vanished. “We know it’s not any of the Thieves, nor Akechi,” another eight faces disappeared.

Arsene tapped on the table, highlighting everyone with black hair. “We can’t rule out anyone based off of hair alone, wigs are easy to buy of course, but we should pay special attention to them.” He swiped and two pictures were pulled off to the side, “We can also safely assume Minato and Minako aren’t who we’re looking for, given the Seal hasn’t failed.” He tapped his fingers against the table, looking out on the assembled people before them.

Akira sighed, “It’s not much to go off of, honestly.” He frowned, and tapped on Mitsuru Kirijo’s icon. “Mitsuru did mention incidents involving personas before SEES, did she not?” A scrolling list of everything Akira knew about the woman appeared, which he tapped twice. It blanked, then the exact conversation appeared, and along with it, a memory.

* * *

“I am Mitsuru Kirijo, nice to meet you, Amamiya-san.” She bowed politely.

_She clearly believes she’s in control right now. Should we mess with her?_

**Come now, little thief. Minato said she was nice, and that she would help us. No need to antagonize the woman just yet.**

Akira bowed in return, a small smile on his face. “It’s nice to meet you as well, Kirijo-san.”

She sat down at the counter, Leblanc’s relaxing atmosphere contrasting her stern demeanor in a way that was not entirely unpleasant. “So, Amamiya-san. Why did you have this Alibaba person reach out to my group?”

Akira’s smile fell from his face, and he sighed. “Look, I’ll cut to the chase. I was tipped off to you guys by a,” he paused momentarily. _How do I explain Minato?_ “Mutual acquaintance, let’s say. I’m a new Wild Card, with my own team of Persona wielders, and I believe it would be to my benefit, as well as yours, if we were to exchange notes.” She barely reacted, and he frowned. “I take it you’re not surprised, are you.”

Mitsuru slightly smiled then, the most emotion he had seen from the woman thus far. “You are not nearly as sneaky as you believe, Phantom Thief.”

Akira grimaced, “Of course. It was probably Ryuji calling it out in public again, wasn’t it?”

At that, she actually chuckled, a hand covering her mouth as she did so. “How you haven’t been found sooner, I haven’t the slightest idea. Though, I suppose a more proper introduction is in order.”

She cleared her throat, and explained to him, “I am Mitsuru Kirijo, the current head of the Kirijo Group. We are a group that is dedicated to fighting Shadows and ensuring their world does not leak into ours. The earliest recorded event involving a Wild Card such as yourself is believed to have been in 1996, though we believe that earlier events are possible. I was personally involved in such an event in 2009, with the next known event being in 2011, and now yours.”

* * *

Akira blinked as the memory faded, and shook his head slightly. “God, that’s a weird sensation. So, the earliest thing we know of is in 1996, though she didn’t say how many times people have been dragged into this.” He sighed, and leaned against the table. “So, from the sounds of it, we could be dealing with anywhere from a dozen more potential persona users on up, and we have no idea who any of them are, assuming Kirijo is even _aware_ of who we’re looking for.”

Arsene leaned back into the air behind him, floating slightly as he crossed his legs and tapped his fingers in thought. “It seems, little thief, that we have come to a dead end. To be frank, we can exclude all of the persona users or potential users we’re aware of, as most are either accounted for or would be actively helpful, should they have their memories.” He swept his hand out and the holograms vanished. “Go now, little thief. Rest, and in the morning, call a meeting; rely on your fellow Thieves. It would, perhaps, be a good idea to introduce them to this place, even.”

Akira sighed, but nodded his head. “I’m aware it would be, but I really don’t want to do so this cycle if we don’t have to. I’ll talk to them tomorrow, and see what they have to say.” He paused for a moment, before chuckling softly. “Futaba seems aware something weird is going on, so there’s a good chance they’ll be coming here soon.”

Arsene nodded, and his gaze became warm for a moment. “I always did like the other thieves you’ve gathered, little thief. Now go, I believe the Velvet Room wishes to speak with you this night.” Arsene faded from sight then, his fiery mask the last thing to disappear, and Akira closed his eyes, allowing himself to drift off into unconsciousness, his dreams tinged blue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the first chapter with a lot of original stuff, so let me know what you think. Hopefully what's going on makes some amount of sense.
> 
> Thanks for reading :)


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